Climate research in China is thriving. With generous government funding and the country's signing of the Paris Agreement, Chinese researchers are gradually taking the lead in the world's climate science.
That much was apparent in late November when over 40 Chinese climate researchers filled the meeting hall of the fifth China-Thailand Joint Conference on Climate Change in Chiang Mai.
The event, organised by the Thailand Research Fund and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, is a long-term collaboration started in 2008 which supports climate research projects by Thai and Chinese researchers.
As they exchanged overviews of collaboration and findings -- with topics ranging from climate variation to carbon flux to extreme weather events -- it was clear that Chinese researchers had much to offer the world, especially developing nations.
"The funding is very good now because it's very important for the Chinese government to put a lot of effort into tackling climate change. Now we have a good data system, boats, aircraft, radar and everything," said Song Yang, a climate scholar at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou. "It is the time to pose scientific questions from a more global point of view."
With over 20 years' experience in US climate research including working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Prof Song returned to China five years ago with a mission to improve climate research in his motherland. He saw many scholars coming back, and this was a big opportunity of China after decades of "Going Out".
Prior to 2015, over 100 Chinese scientists had joined the lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's assessments while conducting consecutive national assessments on climate change.
Post-Paris Agreement, the Chinese government is taking aggressive action to mitigate climate change -- ranging from rapidly increasing investment in renewable energy, funding climate research and domestic projects, pledging funds to assist developing countries' climate mitigation and adaptation, and offering developing countries training programmes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping even pledged over US$3 billion in funding for climate assistance to developing countries, according to the China Dialogue report.
More research projects have been launched in China and abroad, some in cooperation with other nations including Russia and several others in Europe and Southeast Asia -- spanning research outside China including into the Atlantic and international oceans.
A crown of rising stars even shines on the red dragon since US President Donald Trump announced on June 1 that the US would cease all implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Mr Xi has made several speeches showing his support for achieving the goals of the Paris Accord. He mentioned "ecological civilisation" during the opening session of the 19th Communist Party congress on Oct 18, saying China could set an example globally by its effort to reduce consumption, save resources and respond to climate change.
China is ranked the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, generating almost double the volume of the US. In terms of carbon emissions per capita, however, China produces less than half that of the US.
But as the country faces several climate-related woes including Beijing's notorious haze and extreme weather events, China's government has marked climate change as a priority.
Scientific studies of climate change serve as the basis for the government to take measures to address the issue.
"Data shows that climate change causes loss of 2-3% of China's gross domestic product," said Wen Chen from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"China faces pressure because of its rank as the highest emission country in the world. The government and research community must pay attention to climate science," he said.
Now is the moment for China to keep a high profile. n